31A-23a-115.  Appointment of individual and agency insurance producer, limited line producer, or managing general agent — Reports and lists.

(1) 

Terms Used In Utah Code 31A-23a-115

  • Agency: means :
(a) a person other than an individual, including a sole proprietorship by which an individual does business under an assumed name; and
(b) an insurance organization licensed or required to be licensed under Section 31A-23a-301, 31A-25-207, or 31A-26-209. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Department: means the Insurance Department. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Form: means one of the following prepared for general use:
    (i) a policy;
    (ii) a certificate;
    (iii) an application;
    (iv) an outline of coverage; or
    (v) an endorsement. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Individual: means a natural person. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Insurance: includes :
    (i) a risk distributing arrangement providing for compensation or replacement for damages or loss through the provision of a service or a benefit in kind;
    (ii) a contract of guaranty or suretyship entered into by the guarantor or surety as a business and not as merely incidental to a business transaction; and
    (iii) a plan in which the risk does not rest upon the person who makes an arrangement, but with a class of persons who have agreed to share the risk. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Insurer: is a s defined in Section 31A-1-301, except that the following persons or similar persons are not insurers for purposes of 7:
    (a) a risk retention group as defined in:
    (i) the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, Pub. See Utah Code 31A-23a-102
  • License: includes a certificate of authority issued to an insurer. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Managing general agent: means a person that:
    (i) manages all or part of the insurance business of an insurer, including the management of a separate division, department, or underwriting office;
    (ii) acts as an agent for the insurer whether it is known as a managing general agent, manager, or other similar term;
    (iii) produces and underwrites an amount of gross direct written premium equal to, or more than, 5% of the policyholder surplus as reported in the last annual statement of the insurer in any one quarter or year:
    (A) with or without the authority;
    (B) separately or together with an affiliate; and
    (C) directly or indirectly; and
    (iv) 
    (A) adjusts or pays claims in excess of an amount determined by the commissioner; or
    (B) negotiates reinsurance on behalf of the insurer. See Utah Code 31A-23a-102
  • Order: means an order of the commissioner. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • producer: means a person licensed or required to be licensed under the laws of this state to sell, solicit, or negotiate insurance. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
  • (a)  An insurer shall appoint an individual or agency with whom it has a contract as an insurance producer, limited line producer, or managing general agent to act on the insurer’s behalf in order for the licensee to do business for the insurer in this state.

    (b)  An insurer shall report to the commissioner, at intervals and in the form the commissioner establishes by rule made in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act:

    (i)  a new appointment; and

    (ii)  a termination of appointment.

    (2)  An insurer shall notify a producer that the producer’s appointment is terminated by the insurer and of the reason for termination at an interval and in the form the commissioner establishes by rule made in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act.

    (3) 

    (a) 

    (i)  An insurer shall report to the commissioner the cause of termination of an appointment if:

    (A)  the reason for termination is a reason described in Subsection 31A-23a-111(5)(b); or

    (B)  the insurer has knowledge that the individual or agency licensee is found to have engaged in an activity described in Subsection 31A-23a-111(5)(b) by:

    (I)  a court;

    (II)  a government body; or

    (III)  a self-regulatory organization, which the commissioner may define by rule made in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act.

    (ii)  The information provided to the commissioner under this Subsection (3) is a private record under Title 63G, Chapter 2, Government Records Access and Management Act.

    (b)  An insurer is immune from civil action, civil penalty, or damages if the insurer complies in good faith with this Subsection (3) in reporting to the commissioner the cause of termination of an appointment.

    (c)  Notwithstanding any other provision in this section, an insurer is not immune from any action or resulting penalty imposed on the reporting insurer as a result of proceedings brought by or on behalf of the department if the action is based on evidence other than the report submitted in compliance with this Subsection (3).

    (4)  If an insurer appoints an agency, the insurer need not appoint, report, or pay appointment reporting fees for an individual designated on the agency’s license under Section 31A-23a-302.

    (5)  If an insurer has a contract with or lists a licensee in a report submitted under Subsection (3), there is a rebuttable presumption that in placing a risk with the insurer the contracted or appointed licensee or any of the licensee’s licensed employees act on behalf of the insurer.

    Amended by Chapter 168, 2017 General Session